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A pair of injured inmates are guarded by a police officer after fire broke out at a prison in central Honduras. As many as 300 were feared dead, with many inmates asphyxiated or burned alive, officials said. Dozens of others, some with severe burns, were taken to hospitals in Comayagua and the capital, Tegucigalpa.

A Hindu holy man smears his body with ash and vermillion powder at the courtyard of the Pashupatinath Temple as celebrants begin arriving for the Shivaratri festival, dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva, on Feb. 20.

Simon Bilcock leaves the water after a bit of surfing at Coldingham Bay, an inlet in the North Sea. Improved wetsuit materials and technology have turned the sport into a year-round activity even in frigid locales, allowing dedicated surfers to take advantage of the better waves and less crowded breaks the winter offers.

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, cast an ethereal glow in the sky above Kvaloya island. The phenomenon is caused when charged particles from the sun strike gas molecules in the upper atmosphere. The charged particles are drawn by the Earth's magnetic field to the poles.

A Palestinian youth masked with the colors of his flag hides behind a makeshift barricade during clashes with Israeli soldiers at the entrance of the Israeli Ofer Prison, following a demonstration in support for Khader Adnan, a jailed senior member of Islamic Jihad who has been on hunger strike for nearly 60 days.

A man runs for cover as riot police unleash water cannon on a group of demonstrators protesting rising living costs after the government raised the prices of fuel by 35%, food by almost 4% and bus fares by 20% over the weekend.

Supporters of Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa chant slogans against the El Universo newspaper outside the National Court of Justice in Quito, where the newspaper is appealing a $40-million fine and prison sentences for its top executives for libeling Correa.

Hundreds of Somalis march in a rare open protest against Islamist Shebab insurgents and their Al Qaeda allies. "Down with Al Qaeda! Down with Al Shebab!" the crowds chanted, as they marched through the streets near the presidential palace, passing areas recently struck by suicide and car bomb attacks set off by the hard line Shehab.

Pictures in the News | February 15, 2012

Wednesday’s Pictures in the News begins in Honduras, where a fire at a prison gas killed at least 272 trapped inmates, and perhaps more than 300, in scenes one official described as “horrific.” Relatives of inmates wait for news outside the prison in the town of Comayagua. See gallery

In the Middle East, an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish bride enters the men section in a wedding hall during her traditional wedding in the Israeli town of Petah Tikva, and a Palestinian youth masked with the colors of his national flag hides behind a makeshift barricade during clashes with Israeli soldiers at the entrance of the Israeli Ofer Prison near Ramallah in the West Bank.

In Asia, Sri Lankan riot police unleash water cannons on demonstrators protesting rising living costs in Colombo, and an Indian worker processes red chilies at Shertha village, near Ahmadabad.

Elsewhere, supporters of Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa chant slogans outside the National Court of Justice in Quito; Afghan children play on the remains of a Soviet-era armored personnel carrier in Herat; and hundreds of Somalis march through the war-torn capital, Mogadishu, in a rare open protest against Islamist Shebab insurgents and their Al-Qaeda allies.